“Metro Storage brings a national management footprint, as well as a 40-year track record with in-place acquisitions and property management expertise, to the table,” Keith Lampi, IPCC’s president & COO, told CPE. “Entering the storage sector with an operating partner of Metro’s size and caliber will allow Inland Private Capital Corp. to deliver best-in-class service through its self-storage offerings.”

According to “Storage & Warehouse Leasing in the U.S.,” IBISWorld Inc.’s recent report examining the U.S. self-storage market, company analysts believe the U.S. market is poised to grow through 2020 but warn profit-margin growth will likely slow “as heightened internal competition and lower rental rates take their toll on earnings.”

The report shows that by the end of 2016, the U.S. storage market is expected to top $28 billion in revenue, achieving a 3 percent annual growth rate since 2010.

“With solid demand from households and businesses projected to boost industry revenue, the industry faces a bright future,” analysts said in the report. “Steady population growth, increases in the residential rental market, rising per capita disposable income and the number of relocations will all continue to support growing industry demand over the next five years.”

Metro has a longstanding track record of providing self-storage investment opportunities to large institutional partners, including 40 years of in-place acquisitions and property management expertise.

“We continue to see solid operating fundamentals in the storage sector. The prospect for rent growth remains strong, as needs-based demand coupled with limited new supply continues to drive occupancies and performance,” Lampi said. “The low capital expenditure nature of the storage business also makes the sector a great fit for our investment structure.”

According to Lampi, income-producing assets with strong operating fundamentals and the prospect for growth check all of the boxes for the company.

“The three core objectives we set out to accomplish focus on income stability, preservation of capital and value appreciation,” he said. “The storage sector strikes a healthy balance of all three principles.”